Combined effects of hypoxia and starvation on the survival and growth rates of autotrophic, mixotrophic, and heterotrophic dinoflagellates

• Published in: Marine biology Vol. 171; no. 2; p. 42
• Main Authors: Eom, Se Hee, Jeong, Hae Jin, Ok, Jin Hee, Park, Sang Ah, Kang, Hee Chang, You, Ji Hyun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-01-2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Algae; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Climate change; Dinoflagellata; Dinoflagellates; Ecosystem biology; Environmental science; Eutrophication; Feeding; Fish; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Global warming; Growth rate; Gyrodinium dominans; Hypoxia; Life Sciences; Marine & Freshwater Sciences; Marine biology; Microbiology; Microorganisms; Mortality; Oceanography; Original Paper; Plankton; Prey; Shellfish; Stratification; Survival; Water quality; Zoology; Anoxic condition; Global warming; Harmful algal bloom; Red tide; Protist; Deoxygenation
• ISSN: 0025-3162; 1432-1793
• DOI: 10.1007/s00227-023-04363-5

Global warming is exacerbating coastal hypoxia by intensifying stratification. Marine hypoxia often causes large-scale mortality of fish, shellfish, and mammals. However, there have only been a few studies on the effect of hypoxia on dinoflagellate survival. Here, we explored the hypoxic effects on the growth rates of dinoflagellates with different trophic modes: autotrophic
Alexandrium fraterculus
and
Scrippsiella lachrymosa
; mixotrophic
Alexandrium pohangense
,
Gymnodinium smaydae
, and
Shimiella gracilenta
; and heterotrophic
Gyrodinium dominans
and
Protoperidinium pellucidum
. Additionally, we tested feeding as a tactic to reduce hypoxia-induced mortality. Hypoxia reduced the growth rates of all the tested species. However, feeding suitable prey to
A
.
pohangense
,
G
.
smaydae
,
S
.
gracilenta
,
G
.
dominans
, and
P
.
pellucidum
reduced their mortality due to hypoxia. Furthermore, feeding enabled
A
.
pohangense
and
G
.
dominans
to survive under hypoxic conditions. Therefore, feeding could be used as a strategy for survival and reduction of mortality in mixotrophic and heterotrophic dinoflagellates against hypoxia.